The Latest: California legislator Gomez wins US House seat

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on the runoff election to fill a vacant U.S. House seat in Southern California (all times local):

11 p.m.

A Southern California legislator backed by the Democratic establishment and supporters of Bernie Sanders has been elected to Congress.

State Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez defeated rival Robert Lee Ahn Tuesday to claim the open seat in the 34th Congressional District that runs through downtown Los Angeles.

The low-turnout runoff between two Democrats was influenced by racial politics.

Gomez is the son of Mexican immigrants in a district where half the voters are Latino.

Ahn is the son of Korean immigrants and was trying to become the first Korean-American in the U.S. House in nearly two decades.

The seat became vacant when longtime Rep. Xavier Becerra, another Democrat, stepped down after being appointed state attorney general.

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10:15 p.m.

State legislator Jimmy Gomez is widening his edge in early returns in a runoff election for an open U.S. House seat in Southern California.

A tally of mail-in ballots as well as about 2,000 votes from precincts showed Gomez holding a nearly 8-point edge over attorney Robert Lee Ahn.

Gomez has gradually opened a larger margin after the first returns showed the race between the two Democrats nearly even.

The 34th Congressional District seat that runs through downtown Los Angeles has long been considered a Hispanic stronghold.

But the contest Tuesday has been made competitive by an energized Korean-American community that wants to see Ahn become the first Korean in Congress in nearly two decades.

Half the voters in the district are Latino, and about 16 percent Asian.

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9:45 p.m.

State legislator Jimmy Gomez has a slim edge in early returns in a runoff election for an open U.S. House seat in Southern California.

A tally of nearly 19,000 mail-in ballots with a sprinkle of votes from precincts showed Gomez holding a 4-point edge over attorney Robert Lee Ahn.

The 34th Congressional District seat that runs through downtown Los Angeles has long been considered a Hispanic stronghold.

But the contest Tuesday has been made competitive by an energized Korean-American community that wants to see Ahn become the first Korean in Congress in nearly two decades.

Half the voters in the district are Latino, and about 16 percent Asian.

The seat became vacant when longtime Rep. Xavier Becerra stepped down after being appointed state attorney general.

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8:30 p.m.

Two Democrats are nearly tied in early returns in a runoff election to fill an empty U.S. House seat in Southern California.

An unofficial tally of nearly 19,000 mail-in ballots showed state legislator Jimmy Gomez leading attorney Robert Lee Ahn by about 150 votes.

The 34th Congressional District seat that runs through downtown Los Angeles has long been considered a Hispanic stronghold.

But the contest Tuesday has been made competitive by an energized Korean-American community that wants to see Ahn become the first Korean in Congress in nearly two decades.

The 42-year-old Gomez is the pick of the Democratic establishment.

The 41-year-old Ahn is running as an outsider.

Half the voters in the district are Latino, and about 16 percent Asian.

The seat became vacant when longtime Rep. Xavier Becerra stepped down after being appointed state attorney general.

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7:15 p.m.

It appears that voters are mostly ignoring a runoff election to fill a vacant U.S. House seat in Southern California.

One precinct east of downtown Los Angeles was empty of voters at midafternoon Tuesday.

A preliminary tally of mail-in ballots by nonpartisan research firm Political Data Inc. points to a low turnout.

Two Democrats are competing for the 34th Congressional District seat in a race that has been influenced by racial politics.

The pick of the Democratic establishment is state legislator Jimmy Gomez, the son of Mexican immigrants.

Attorney Robert Lee Ahn wants to become the first Korean-American in Congress since the 1990s.

The seat that runs through downtown Los Angeles has long been considered a Hispanic stronghold.

Half the voters are Latino, and about 16 percent Asian.

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6:30 p.m.

An analysis of early voting in an election to fill a vacant U.S. House seat in Southern California points to an energized turnout by Asians in a strongly Hispanic district.

The preliminary review of mail-in ballots in the 34th Congressional District by nonpartisan research firm Political Data Inc. is an encouraging sign for Robert Lee Ahn, who wants to become the first Korean-American in Congress in nearly 20 years.

The Democratic establishment’s pick is state legislator Jimmy Gomez, who is the son of Mexican immigrants.

Ahn is the son of Korean immigrants.

Half the voters in the district that runs through downtown Los Angeles are Latino. About 16 percent are Asian.

The district is considered a Hispanic stronghold.

The runoff has been influenced by racial politics.

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00:06

Two Democrats are in a runoff for a vacant U.S. House seat in Southern California.

The outcome Tuesday in the 34th Congressional District could send the first Korean-American to Congress since the 1990s or a legislator backed by the Democratic establishment and supporters of Bernie Sanders.

The contest in the heavily Democratic district that runs through downtown Los Angeles has been influenced by racial politics.

Robert Lee Ahn is the son of Korean immigrants and has emerged as a favorite in the district’s bustling Koreatown neighborhood.

State legislator Jimmy Gomez is the son of Mexican immigrants in a district where half the voters are Latino.

The seat became vacant when longtime Rep. Xavier Becerra, another Democrat, stepped down after being appointed state attorney general.